Call of Duty Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Call of Duty Wiki
The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Ghosts The subject of this article appears in Extinction mode The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
For other reward based systems similar to strike chains, see Streak.
MW3 StrikeChain Default

The default assault strike chain in Modern Warfare 3.

The Strike Chain System is the replacement for the Killstreak system in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Ghosts. In this system, killstreaks have been replaced by pointstreaks, and the term "Strike Chain" describes any chain of three pointstreaks.

In Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, the Strike Chain System only appears through the Specialist Strike Package (in certain game modes).[1]

Overview[]

Strikepackages

The complete list of pointstreaks in Modern Warfare 3.

In previous Call of Duty games, players were able to choose up to three different killstreak rewards, and were awarded them after killing a certain number of enemies in a row without dying. Those killstreaks were independent of the player's custom classes. In the Strike Chain system, however, killstreaks have been replaced by Pointstreaks, which are awarded to players for accumulating a certain number of points. Another difference from past reward systems is points being gained not only by killing opponents, but also for shooting down air support, and completing objectives, such as capturing a position in Domination.

Pointstreaks are divided into three Strike Packages - Assault, Support, and Specialist. Strike Packages are attached to custom classes, and a Strike Chain can only be formed from pointstreaks from the same Strike Package.

Ghosts Meter Buff[]

On April 8, 2014, Call of Duty: Ghosts's meter function was changed to reward players better when they actually play the objectives. In Kill Confirmed, or any game mode with tags, players will be rewarded with "half a point" for collecting a tag, friends' or foes'. In Domination, any and every play that captures a flag, whether or not they were the first player to on the flag, will be rewarded with "half a point" in their pointstreak.[2]

Assault[]

Main article: Assault Strike Package

The Assault Strike Package includes pointstreak rewards more suited to inflicting damage on opposing players. When using this strike package, kills acquired through pointstreaks give points toward newer pointstreaks, and all accumulated points are reset when the player reaches their last pointstreak, or when the player is killed.

Modern Warfare 3[]

Points Required

(Hardline)

Strike Chain Reward Description
3 (2) UAV Deploy an unmanned aerial surveillance drone to pinpoint enemy position on the map as red dots for 30 seconds. Three of these drones active at once acts as the Advanced UAV from the Support Strike Package.
4 (3) Care Package Call in a Care Package drop that offers a random killstreak reward that will be only of the Assault killstreaks. It will not offer any Support killstreak rewards.
5 (4) I.M.S. Deploy an anti-personnel Intelligence Munition System. Anybody in proximity of the blast, triggered by nearby enemy movement, gets blown to bits in an instant. 
5 (4) Predator Missile Call in a Hellfire Predator Missile that will target a spot on the map. Can be destroyed with the Trophy System or the EMP killstreak while in mid air. It can destroy enemy killstreaks like the Reaper and AC-130, but extreme precision must be used to do so.
5 (4) Sentry Gun Call in a crate drop containing an automated tripod turret that guns down anyone not using Blind Eye within a close proximity.
6 (5) Precision Airstrike Call in a deadly airstrike of a series of three bombing aircraft for instant explosive support across the designated area. Can only be destroyed by the EMP killstreak.
7 (6) Attack Helicopter An Attack Helicopter enters the airspace and immediately starts picking off enemies in the open. Very easy to shoot down but can rack up a lot of points and is best used to stack killstreaks.
9 (8) Strafe Run Call in 5 Attack Helicopters to sweep the indicated area with massive firepower. The Strafe Run will make the sweep through the area twice. Useful on open maps.
9 (8) AH-6 Overwatch The AH-6 flies in and provides personal protection, tailing your movements and opening fire on targets in the open. Enemies with Blind Eye will remain undetected by the AH-6.
9 (8) Reaper Control a Reaper UAV from a laptop that carries fourteen AGMs (Air to Ground Missiles) that you can guide via laser sight on the Reaper drone. Active for 45 seconds, until all 14 AGMs are used or until shot down, whichever is sooner. Carries one set of flares for protection against enemy missiles. Can destroy enemy killstreaks.
10 (9) Assault Drone Call in a Assault Drone by airdrop that carries a machine gun and a grenade launcher on it. The grenades replenish automatically after a short duration of time. Active for about a minute or until destroyed, whichever is sooner. Can be destroyed by any missile launcher.
12 (11) AC-130 Be the gunner of a Lockheed AC-130 "Angel of Death" Aircraft and have access to three gun cannons that rain massive firepower on your enemies below. Carries two sets of flares for protection against enemy missiles. The AC-130 takes no gunfire damage from enemies so it can only be destroyed by the EMP killstreak, SAM Turrets, SMAW, Javelin, Predator Missile or Stinger launchers. Can also destroy enemy killstreaks.
12 (11) Pave Low A heavily armoured attack helicopter enters the battlefield and attacks enemies in the open. Enemies who aren't using Blind Eye that attack the Pave Low will be targeted by the helicopter instantly.
15 (14) Juggernaut Call in a heavy duty EOD suit, equipped with the M60E4 and MP412. Unlike the support variant, it does not have a Portable Radar equipped.
17 (16) Osprey Gunner Get behind the guns of a V-22 Osprey that you control as you deliver and defend three care packages for your teammates. Carries two sets of flares for protection against enemy missiles.

Ghosts[]

Points Required

(Hardline)

Strike Chain Reward Description
3 (2) SAT COM Deploy a ground satellite to pinpoint enemy position in the players and allies' line of sight on the map as red dots. Two of these sweep the map to show enemy players.  Three of these sweep faster.  Four of these act as an Advanced UAV.
5 (4) I.M.S. Deploy an anti-personnel Intelligence Munition System. It contains four explosive charges that launch and detonate when triggered by enemy movement.
5 (4) Guard Dog Call a German Shepherd onto the map, he will follow the player similarly to the AH-6 Overwatch. When the Dog is near enemies, he will growl or bark, notifying the player. The Guard Dog will also attack enemy players.
7 (6) Sentry Gun Call in a crate drop containing an automated tripod turret that guns down anyone not using Blind Eye within a close proximity.
7 (6) Trinity Rocket Remote-controlled missile fired from above with the ability to fire two smart drones at targets before boosting the missile itself.
9 (8) Battle Hind Allows the player to call in an assault helicopter.
9 (8) Vulture Allows the player to call in an AI-controlled twin rotor drone armed with a machine gun. The drone follows and protects the player, similar to the AH-6 Overwatch.
10 (9) Gryphon Allows the player to control a quadrotor drone armed with explosive rounds.
10 (9) Maniac Once obtained from a dropped care package, players will receive a juggernaut like armor and a Combat Knife along with a Throwing Knife. The Maniac also runs much faster than Regular Players. (Stated by the loading intel "You can't outrun a Maniac")
11 (10) Juggernaut Call in a heavy duty EOD suit, equipped with a Minigun, P226 and a Canister Bomb.
12 (11) Helo Pilot

Obtaining this point streak allows players to pilot a Helicopter armed with miniguns and fly around the map, similar to the Gunship killstreak from Black Ops. Equipped with 2 Manual Flares.

15 (14) Loki Allows the player to control the Loki satellite.

Support[]

Main article: Support Strike Package

The Support Strike Package includes pointstreak rewards more suited to assisting the player's team. When using this strike package, kills acquired through pointstreaks do NOT give points toward newer pointstreaks, and all accumulated points are ONLY reset when the player reaches their last pointstreak; not upon death.

Modern Warfare 3[]

Points Required

(Hardline)

Strike Chain Reward Description
4 (3) UAV Deploy an aerial surveillance drone to pinpoint enemy position on the map.
5 (4) Counter-UAV Take away the enemy's ability to track your team via radar.
5 (4) Ballistic Vests Deploy a load of Ballistic Vests for increased armour and damage resistance.
5 (4) Airdrop Trap Aerial support drops in a rigged crate, blasting away the first enemy to open its contents.
8 (7) SAM Turret Deploy the SAM Turret to lock down air space in the vicinity, knocking out any enemy killstreaks above, aside from the Stealth Bomber.
10 (9) Recon Drone Deploy and take the controls of a miniature Recon Drone, possessing the ability to mark enemy positions and incapacitate them.
12 (11) Advanced UAV Reveal both the position of the enemy as well as the direction they're facing for a brief period of time.
12 (11) Remote Sentry Deploy and manually control a Remote Sentry.
14 (13) Stealth Bomber Call in a precision airstrike without giving notice to the enemy team.
18 (17) EMP Temporarily disable enemy equipment and HUDs throughout the map for a limited time.
18 (17) Juggernaut Recon Call in a heavy duty EOD suit, equipped with the Riot Shield and USP .45 for extreme damage resistance.
18 (17) Escort Airdrop

An Osprey enters the target vicinity and drops a load of five Care Packages, sticking around for a brief period of time to attack enemies that try to steal the goods.

Ghosts[]

Points Required

(Hardline)

Strike Chain Reward Description
4 (3) SAT COM Satellite communications relay enemy movements. Multiple SAT COMs enhance effects.
6 (5) Ammo Crate Deploy an Ammo Crate that supplies weapons and ammo to your team.
8 (7) Ballistic Vests Deploy a bag of Ballistic Vests for your team.
9 (8) MAAWS Free-fire a shoulder mounted rocket launcher. Lase and hold on the target to guide missiles.
10 (9) Night Owl A companion drone that detects enemies based on proximity and protects you from explosives.
11 (10) Support Squadmate Get behind the guy with a Riot Shield.
12 (11) Ground Jammer Disable enemy ground communications and electronics.
12 (11) Air Superiority Call in fighter jets to destroy enemy aircraft.
13 (12) Helo Scout Provide sniper support from a controllable helicopter.
14 (13) Oracle Uses GPS technology to detect and display enemies.
14 (13) Juggernaut Recon Receive advanced defensive armor with personal radar tech via Care Package. Equipped with a Riot Shield and .44 Magnum.
16 (15) Odin Supply support from the Odin Satellite.

Specialist[]

Note: The following mostly applies to both MW3 and Ghosts, except Ghost perks require perk points+1 kills to unlock them.

Main article: Specialist Strike Package
Specialty one man army upgradeS

All Specialist Perks Bonus Icon.

In the Specialist Strike Package, players choose perks to be awarded instead of pointstreaks. When using this strike package, the perks are given to the player at 24, and 6 points, or 13, and 5 with Hardline. The player may place any additional perk (excluding Overkill) at any place in their Strike Chain. In addition, if the player reaches 8 points, or 7 with Hardline, they are awarded every remaining perk in the game, again excluding Overkill. Every applicable proficiency for any weapon the player is using will be awarded to one (besides Damage, Breath, or Attachments, unless already equipped). All benefits are lost on death.

M.O.A.B.[]

Main article: M.O.A.B.

The M.O.A.B. (Massive Ordinance Air Blast/Mother Of All Bombs) is a hidden killstreak reward obtainable with any strike package in Modern Warfare 3. Obtaining it requires 25 kills in one life (24 with Hardline). Once called in, there is a ten second countdown, after which it kills every enemy player in the open when it hits, destroys all killstreaks on the enemy team or in Free-for-All all enemy pointstreaks in the Air or Ground minus the Airdrop Trap and causes an EMP effect for the opposing team for one minute. The team, or the player in Free for All, that deployed it also gains double XP for the rest of the match. The M.O.A.B. is the spiritual successor to the Tactical Nuke. However, unlike the Tactical Nuke, the M.O.A.B. will not end the game. It should be noted that the M.O.A.B. can only be acquired with direct kills from the player, not by shooting down air support, completing objectives, or getting other kills with other pointstreak rewards. Note that the EMP pointstreak from the Support Strike Package cannot destroy this killstreak after it has been called in, but only prevent it from being called in.

Extinction[]

The Strike Package returns in Extinction. The player can only have one at a time. Unlike the pointstreaks in multiplayer, these can only be bought and are not earned through points.

Strike Packages are a crucial component of Extinction, as they are the main secondary offensive tool that players have at their disposal.

The Strike Packages include the I.M.S., the Mortar Strike, the Trinity Rocket, the Sentry Gun, and the Vulture. If the player is not playing on Point of Contact or Nightfall, any player that has the Trinity Rocket selected will have their Strike Package automatically changed to a MAAWS instead.

The I.M.S. and Sentry Gun are mostly independently controlled, placed by the player in one position, and can be moved around the map by the player as they please. The Sentry Gun can be targeted and destroyed by Scouts and Hunters, so players need to protect the Sentry Gun more actively.

The Mortar Strike and Vulture Drone have completely independent control and require no further user interaction once they're deployed.

The Trinity Rocket is unique in that it is completely user-controlled, although it can be upgraded to fire semi-independent smart missiles, although the player is mostly responsible for how effective those are.

The MAAWS is a handheld launcher that behaves more akin to an Equalizer than the other strike packages, overriding the user's ability to switch to other weapons until all ammo within the MAAWS is expended.

Costs vary wildly between the Strike Packages, and they are usually among the most expensive parts of a user's loadout. They are also expensive to upgrade, as it costs five Skill Points just to purchase the last two upgrades of any of the Strike Packages. The high cost of upgrading them in their last stages makes them tough to invest in when playing on Hardcore difficulty. Despite their high price tags and the extreme cost to invest skill points into them, Strike Packages are extremely common to see used in Extinction, for they provide great supplementary killing power when used appropriately, and most Strike Packages are simple to use. Strike Packages are ideal for defending objectives, defending the player, or warding off Cryptids from a certain area. Strike Packages are typically low-maintenance, usually not requiring the user to do anything for it to kill Cryptids, leaving the user free to continue engaging and killing Cryptids as normal while the Strike Package also chips in a few kills.

Compared to Equalizers, the Strike Package usually involves far less user intervention, with some not requiring the user to do anything for it to work properly, but Strike Packages usually come with a loftier price tag than the Equalizers, and Strike Packages usually don't tend to last for as long as Equalizers can. Strike Packages are more of a compliment to a user's playstyle, whereas most Equalizers tend to make the user revolve their playstyle around it.

Required Level Cost Item Description
1 $1250 I.M.S. The Intelligent Munitions System detects and eliminates enemy combatants.
9 $1500 Mortar Strike 3 mortars strike with medium damage, small radius.
18 $1300 Trinity Rocket A remote-controlled missile system with controllable thrust.
22 $2000 Sentry Gun Place an automated Sentry Gun.
28 $2200 Vulture A companion drone that protects your six.

Trivia[]

  • They are sometimes called killstreaks in-game in both games.

References[]

Advertisement